Review: Sushi Go Party!

Around our house, when someone mentions Sushi Go!, people are gathering around the table to play in minutes. After finding a copy of Sushi Go Party! at our local game shop, we knew that we had to pick it up.

Sushi Go Party! is a follow up to Game Wright Games fast paced sushi themed card game. Like the original, there is plenty of strategy and planning to out score your opponents. It’s appropriately named “Party” since it allows for 8 players to join in the sushi swapping fun.

What’s New?

Sushi Go Party! follows the same format as the original game of playing a single card and passing your hand to the left over the course of 3 rounds. One thing that we love about this card game is the speed of play in each round. Once players get used to the cards, everyone is making quick decisions on which card will give them an advantage over their opponents.

Don’t worry, if you haven’t played the original Sushi Go!, you will be just fine. The rule book does an excellent job explaining everything.

Game Wright has introduced a really nice bi-fold board with this edition of the game that is used to keep track of each players scores as well as serving as a “menu”. Players choose a colored token that resembles a soy sauce bottle that will indicate how many points they score after each round.

Before each game, the players set a menu consisting of a nigiri, a sushi roll, three appetizers, two special items and a dessert. There are more than 23 items to choose from which really benefits the replay-ability!

The new cards are a great addition that really shift the strategy when they’re paired with other items on the menu. The Tofu card only scores points if you have less than three. The Soy Sauce card rewards the player that collects an array of different cards while the Green Tea Ice Cream can be a game changer by awarding 12 points to any player that collects four of these cards.

It’s a Sushi Party!

Our family is always looking for games that will involve everyone. One of the strengths of Sushi Go Party! is that it allows up to 8 players to join in the fun. With the additional players, the game can get cutthroat and offers a real challenge for even the most seasoned player.

In between each round, additional dessert cards are shuffled into the deck. This is really our only complaint with this game. The original Sushi Go! is a game that is fast paced from start to finish and it takes only seconds to deal new cards between rounds. Adding cards, giving a proper shuffle and re-dealing after each round is a little clunky and can add an additional 5 minutes to the overall game. This probably won’t matter as we spend more time playing the game, but it’s worth mentioning for all those who love the speed of the original game.

The Sushi Lover in us all

Between the adorable card art and the simplicity of play, it’s hard not to love Sushi Go Party! (or the original Sushi Go!). The game is such a staple in our house that our kids are always asking us if they can teach our guests how to play. This is a great addition to any family game library and is accessible to kids over the age of 7 years old.

Over the Father’s Day weekend I was able to introduce my board game skeptical Dad to this game. It was a strong endorsement when he said “That game was actually pretty good.” It may not sound like much, but when it comes to board games, this is the equivalent to an “A” for him.

Adding another party game to the family gaming library was a huge win. Sushi Go Party! is proof that Game Wright Games is listening to their audience and creating great family games.